


Arsenicum Album

by HappyLeech



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: AU, Attempted Murder, Gen, Half-Assed Medical Information, Healing Proccess, Inaccurate Medical Information, Poison, Poisoning, Taako gets adopted by an entire town
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-20 17:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13722855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyLeech/pseuds/HappyLeech
Summary: What happened in Glamour Springs goes a little differently than usual.(Glamour Springs adopts a Taako)





	1. Chapter 1

It didn’t take the people of Glamour Springs long to realize that it wasn’t nightshade that killed fourteen and put another seventeen into a coma, no matter what the chef—Taako, who was in a coma himself—said. It took them even less time to grab his manager Sazed before he could bolt and leave the area.

(Jamie and Lyle caught him just outside of town, pulling him off of his horse and frisking him. When they found the empty vial of arsenic he insisted that he’d done nothing wrong, it was all the elf, but the pair didn’t believe him.)

Most people would have believed Sazed, however. After all, it was Taako who did the show, who cooked the food, who handed it out without tasting it first.

But it was also Taako who ran down into the audience, knocking the food out of everyone’s hands, screaming for them not to eat it once he did try it. It was also Taako who yelled for Sazed to get help, and, when Sazed ran, it was him who burnt his hands grabbing the charcoal from under his cook top.

(Norma didn’t eat the food, but her son had swallowed a bite right as Taako flew down from the stage in a panic. She took the cooling charcoal from his blistering hands and, alongside the others, began to feed it to those who’d eaten the food. She wished she’d realized that Taako hadn’t swallowed any before he collapsed.)

It didn’t take long for the rest of the town to arrive in a flurry; their sheriff, mayor, the local chemist, their only cleric. The crowd took in the sight before them, their neighbours and friends wailing and sobbing and demanding that their fellows stay alive, and sprung into action. Those who had fallen into comas were transported back to the town, to the inn turned hospital, while those who hadn’t were looked over by the chemist.

(Once Zail looked at the remaining food, she knew it wasn’t the berries that garnished the dish that caused the poisoning. She even went as far as to eat a handful of the elderberries that had been transmutated and cooked, but hadn’t been added to the dish, to prove her point. Irene, the mayor, then made a point of telling the rest of them to eat nothing else from the scene, lest more of them fall ill.)

Eventually, the crowd thinned. Those who’d eaten the food but also the charcoal were taken to the inn to be watched, the townspeople who weren’t at the show were asked to leave, and before long the crowd of 60 who’d settled in for a show was down to 23. Nadiya, the sheriff, had seen Lyle and Jamie go past with Sazed between them, and nodded to Irene before following after them. Irene nodded back, then turned to her people.

“What happened here?”

One by one, everyone began to speak.

“He was making 30 garlic clove chicken.”

“He told us that he must have made a mistake.”

“The berries were nightshade, he said.”

“He was crying.”

“He tried to help.”

(This was when Zail tried the aforementioned berries, to everyone’s horror.)

“What about the other man?” Irene asked, and for a moment there was silence.

“He ran away.”

“He tried to grab Taako and leave.”

“He said there was no use helping us.”

“I saw him on the stage.”

“He put something in with the garlic.”

 

With that, the group returned to town. Irene had questions to be answered, Zail had work to do, and Christopher, their cleric, had his hands full in Mama’s inn. The townspeople huddled outside of the inn, making plans.

(Upon reaching the town hall, Irene sent Newton and Barclay to deal with Sizzle It Up’s horses. They didn’t need to add dying livestock to their list of worries as well, she explained to Nadiya when she finally joined her and Jamie in interrogating Sazed.)

Those who arrived at the inn awake were still awake, although Mama and Aubrey had their hands, and rooms, full of people crying from fear, pain, and nausea. Those who had arrived unconscious already were in more dire straights. Through tears and mumbled curses, Christopher laid blankets over the faces of those who passed in their sudden sleep. Children, of which there were four, the elderly, of which there were three, and the ill, of which there were seven, passed before he could help them.

The rest, though, were alive. Unwell, poisoned, dying, but alive.

(Christopher looked at the chef, pale and shaking in his unconscious state, and felt a twinge of anger. Then he saw the burns, and was more upset with himself than anything else. It was his food that did this, but he had stayed. He had helped, and that was more than most would do.)

 

As the days continued, so did the work.

Zail locked herself in her shop, smoke bellowing out of the chimney day and night as she worked on a tincture to aid the ill. Christopher cared for the people in the inn’s main room, Edmund assisting where he could. Irene announced the real culprit, and didn’t mention her and Nadiya debating hanging or jail in ear-shot of Sazed. Newton took care of the horses, and Barclay took it upon himself to clean the area where the ill-fated show took place.

When Zail emerged, triumphant and exhausted with the antidote, everyone cheered. A crowd grew around the entrance to Mama’s inn, but only those related to the comatose patients were allowed inside. Many asked to sit at Taako’s bedside, but Mama and Christopher shook their heads and ushered them out. No one in the inn held any hostilities, nor did anyone in the town hall, but no one could say for sure the rest of the townsfolks.

(Besides, Dani had taken up residence on the chair next to his cot. She’d been at the show with Aubrey’s younger brother Harris, and the two of them had nearly taken a bite of their food when he knocked it to the ground. Dani wanted to thank him, once he awoke, as did Aubrey.)

As Edmund, Christopher, Mama, Audbry, Zail, and Dani began to carefully administer the antidote, those waiting outside began to talk of the event again, as if it wasn’t the focal point of Glamour Springs for the past three days. Norma held up a sweater she was knitting, a soft green wool, and talked about how upset she was that she didn’t make Taako eat the charcoal when he brought it to her. Vincent nodded, and held up a pair of goat-hair gloves, before commenting on the terrible burns that likely covered his hands. Minerva and Kirby stood to the side, attempting to peer in through the windows, theorizing between themselves what would happened once the antidote was drunk.

The crowd stood, anxious as Zail and Mama stepped out to speak to them. They knew that it would take time for those inside to awaken, but still they wanted news.

“My husband?” asked Sylvain, who was too nervous to go inside.

“Jake?” asked Mary, who was worried for her neighbour.

“Taako?” asked Norma, knitting needles clacking together loudly.

Zail and Mama looked to each other, then to the crowd.

“These things take time.”

 

And time it did take.

Within the week those who’d been brought to the inn awake were finally well enough to leave, leaning on loved ones and vowing to never eat garlic again as they passed through the doors. Glamour Springs celebrated this in a quieter way, families choosing to forgo brandy and scotch for warm drinks and stories by the fire, relishing the company of their loved ones.

The next week, those who were unconscious began to wake up. Between Zail and Christopher’s help, they were flushing the arsenic from their bodies and recovering, another cause for celebration when all sixteen of them finally opened their eyes.

Taako wasn’t one of the sixteen, however.

As the others were released to their homes, jars of a milky white concoction in hand with instructions on how to take it in mind, the elven cook remained asleep. Before long he was the only one still laid low by the poison, and Mama moved him into his own room, putting Christopher up in the adjoining one to care for him.

 

And despite all that had happened, life continued.


	2. Chapter 2

Another week later and Taako was still under. Between Christopher and Zail, they determined that he was alive and mostly out of danger, but there wasn’t any more that they could do for him until he awoke. When the town heard of this, they rallied together, demanding that they be allowed to visit and sit with him until he was well.

Vincent and Norma made themselves know to the others that they were collecting things for Taako, thank you gifts for saving them or their loved ones. Mama had Jake make up a room for him as well, for once he woke. Addison, who ran the general shop with Minerva, had Taako’s stagecoach moved behind her store so they could clean up the mess Sazed has made of it, and do inventory. Minerva knew that there was a likelihood that Taako would stay to heal, then leave, and she wanted to make sure his caravan was well stocked.

All of this lead to the moment that Taako began to stir.

Dani was just finishing cutting Taako’s hair when she realized that he was waking up. His long hair had started to fall out in large clumps over the past week, and Mama suggested she trim it for him so it wasn’t such a shock to see when he woke. So when she saw him move, Dani scrambled out of the room, calling for Edmund as she ran for Mama.

 _Everyone_ needed to know that Taako was awake.

* * *

 

The first thing Taako noticed upon waking up was that his throat hurt. Next came the smell, like a body unwashed, the noises, people talking outside of the room he was in, and the numbness in his hands.

And, actually, _everything_ hurt.

With a grunt, he tried to pull himself up into a sitting position, looking around the empty room. It was far too nice to be a jail cell—rustic furniture sat throughout the room, a decorative quilt hung on the wall to match the one that was folded next to his bed. There was a chair next to the bed, a pair of scissors and a book sitting on the seat.

There was also a bucket, which Taako took full advantage of. He didn’t know what he’d eaten in the last little while, but he was throwing it up. Along with some blood.

The conversations outside grew louder as someone opened the door, and Taako almost flinched as it slammed shut again. He’d really fucked up, and the people outside the door was probably a mob who wanted him drawn and quartered for killing all those people…

He continued to heave into the bucket, not noticing the person in the room until they touched his shoulder. Taako looked up, meeting the eyes of a dark skinned human who looked…relieved to see him up and moving?

“I sent Barclay to get you something to eat, something light. My name is Christopher, and I’ve been looking after you. Do you know what happened?” he passed over a glass of water for Taako to rinse his mouth out with, before refilling it for him to drink from.

Taako sipped at the water, thinking. He’d fucked up, obviously. Nightshade instead of elderberries, mixed in with the garlic cloves. “I fed everyone deadly nightshade. I messed up, and…” he waved a hand helplessly, then looked down at it. He couldn’t really feel it, it was still numb, but it  felt like it was stretching, like the skin was too tight.

Christopher noticed him looking at his hand, and reached out, taking it and turning it over. “Norma and a few others at the show said you grabbed charcoal out of the fire to help, so you burned yourself. I wasn’t able to treat your hands right away, so that’s why there’s scaring. It’s going to feel weird for a while, but once you get back to using them, that feeling will go away.”

Before either of them could say anything else, the door opened again. On the other side was a crowd of people, all of them craning their necks to try and look inside the room. Their views were blocked by a bearded man carrying a large tray of food. He set it down on the table, and smiled at Taako.

“Here’s your meal. It’s bananas, a mix of cooked broccoli and spinach, orange juice, fresh bread and butter. Chris and Zail said you’ll probably need to take it easy before I can make any of my curry for you.” The bearded man then turned to Christopher. “Zail’s on her way over with Irene. I’ll send Mama in too, once she gets past your fans.” He smiled again at Taako, before leaving the room.

Taako stared at the door. His fans? Was he making a joke about them all wanting him dead?

“So, Irene and Mama can explain better than me, but you don’t have to blame yourself for what happened.” Christopher took the bucket and water glass from Taako, sliding the bucket under the bed to probably be forgotten. He then helped Taako up out of the bed and over to the table. Taako didn’t want to need the help, but his legs just didn’t seem to be working properly. “It wasn’t nightshade that contaminated the food, it was arsenic. You did nothing wrong.”

Taako stared at the food, dimly realizing that he’d been doing a lot of staring blankly into space in the ten minutes that he’d been awake, confused. How had arsenic ended up in the food?  “I still fed it to them,” he said, reaching for the juice first. Juice seemed easy to deal with at the moment.

Christopher shook his head, taking the seat across from Taako. “But you also stayed and helped. We…did lose some people, but we would have lost many more if you hadn’t stopped everyone from eating and grabbed the charcoal.” He watched as Taako picked at the cooked vegetables, and as he started to eat, spoke again. “Don’t eat too fast, okay? You’ve been out for just over two weeks now.”

 

Christopher left Taako to his food and started to tidy up the room, also leaving Taako to his thoughts. How had arsenic gotten into the food? Had something happened to his cooking implements somewhere between the last town and Glamour Springs? Had he picked up bad ingredients somewhere? He did transmutate some of them, but the chicken was a chicken from the start…had someone tried to kill him from another town, and Glamour Springs was just unlucky enough that Taako decided to work with chicken?

He wasn’t able to stew in his thoughts for much longer when the door opened again. This time three women entered, an orc, a human, and a half-elf who all looked happy to see him.

“How are you feeling?” The half-elf asked, rushing over and getting right in his face. “Headache? Cramps? Nausea with blood?”

The orcish woman gently grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her away. “Let him breath, Zail. You can quiz him later…if he doesn’t tell us how he’s feeling just while we’re in here. He’s a patient, not an experiment. Sorry ‘bout that. I’m Mama, this is Zail, and Irene, the mayor, is just over there. Did Chris tell you anything about what happened?”

Taako swallowed his broccoli. “Just that I’ve been out for two weeks and it wasn’t the berries.”

The human woman, Irene, walked over and sat where Chris had been before. “I’m sorry, Taako, this might spoil your appetite, but we have a few things to discuss about what happened. How long have you known Sazed?”

Taako tried to think. It was kind of fuzzy, thinking back to when he started Sizzle It Up, but he figured it was a side effect of the fact that he’d eaten poison. “Four years? He was with me since the beginning of the show…I didn’t know him before I started, though.”

Irene sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, Taako, but the arsenic in the food? That was all Sazed’s doing.”

Taako blinked twice, then rubbed his face with his hands. “What?”

“He confessed to poisoning the food. He thought that you would have tasted the food in the show and collapsed then, but when you didn’t, he figured that we’d…take revenge for the people in town who would have died from eating it.” Irene reached around, grabbing Taako’s hand. “Instead, you tasted the food after serving began and because of that, you were able to save the lives of sixteen people.”

“Oh.” Taako leaned back in his chair, before frowning. His head felt weird, and his braid wasn’t digging into his back against the chair. “What happened to my hair?”

Irene looked over his head to one of the others, and he heard someone walking into the adjoining room.

“Because of what happened, your hair was comin’ out, so we had Dani cut it.” Mama said, coming around his side and holding out a hand mirror. “Thought it might not be as shocking to see when you woke up if it was short.”

He ran his fingers through the shoulder length hair, not really recognizing the elf in the reflection, then looked at his hand. A sizable chunk of hair sat in his palm and he let it fall onto his lap. “It’s…fine.” Taako swallowed, brushed off his hands. “D’ you think Dani could cut it shorter for me?”

Something about the length it was now just didn’t feel right.

“I’m sure she could,” Irene said, taking control of the conversation again. “I know this is probably a bit of a shock to you right now, but there are a few other things I’d like to discuss with you. We would like to offer an invitation for you to stay with us, Taako. Until you’re fully healed, yes, but also…we would like you to make a home here.”

“We have a room made up for you upstairs for while you recuperate, and while you think this over,” Mama said, standing next to Irene, Zail and Christopher doing the same. “A lot of people in this town owe you for your quick thinking, so you won’t need to worry about payment at all. Aubrey, who helps me run the inn, told me that if we tried to make you pay for a room, she’d revolt.”

The four of them laughed, but Taako felt like he’d been hit with a sack of bricks. Even though he’d fed the poisoned food to the people, they wanted him to stay? The entire town wanted him to stick around? He couldn't think of a time that he was wanted.

“You don’t have to decide right now, and if you do choose to leave, your stagecoach is in behind Addison’s store and we’ll make sure you’re all kitted out.” Irene patted his hand again. “Now, Sazed is being held in our jail cell for the time being, but we are going to reach out to the courts of Neverwinter to deal with him, once everyone ha their health back. Am I safe to assume you probably would not like to make that trip?”

Taako shook his head. “I’m worried about what I’d do to the bastard if I saw him again. He probably wouldn’t even make it to Neverwinter.” Mama muttered ‘ _ahmen_ ’ to that, and he smiled for the first time. Taako could see himself liking her.

“Well then! I think we’re done here folks—oh, right. Taako, there’s a good deal of people outside who want to talk to you. Should I tell them to come back once you’re in your new room and have had a chance to clean up?” Irene asked, her hand on the doorknob. "We'll have Christopher and Dani watch the crowd for you too."

_“Please.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I guess I'm writing more than just 2 chapters for this. I'm putting it at an optamistic 6 chapters, if only because I have ideas for Taako meeting Kravitz and Taako arguing with Davenport and the town of Glamour Springs asking if Lup is going to move to GS too.
> 
> * * *
> 
> * I dunno how long Taako did Sizzle It Up, but for this fic I’mma say it was only for 4 years b4 Glamour Springs  
> * Side Effects of Arsenic poisoning (Other than, you know, Death): Hair Loss, Digestive Problems, Nervous System Complications (loss of sensation in the limbs and hearing problems), Abdominal Pain, and more!  
> * At this time, I have more than 10 tabs open about Arsenic poisoning. My mother just jokingly asked if she needs to watch what she eats. I just wanna be accurate!  
> * I figured that magic could deal with burns better and faster than poisoning so…his hands are mostly healed.  
> * Potassium also apparently helps when someone ingests arsenic. Hence the bananas, orange juice, and cooked spinach and broccoli.  
> * The characters named after ones from the other arcs are...not really going to be the same as they are in those arcs? I was mostly jsut using their names, tbh...sorry if it seems weird!
> 
> * * *
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](http://happyleech.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> IT'S ALMOST 4 AM AND I decided that I wanted to work on an AU where Glamour Springs basically adopts Taako
> 
> * * *
> 
> * When Sazed said they should just cut and run, Taako almost kinda remembered the plane in Stolen Century with the robots and the crystal and how upset Lup was. And in that moment, Sazed was acting like Taako, and Taako chose to act like Lup.  
> * Every character from the other TAZ arcs live in Glamour Springs, it’s the rules now  
> * Seriously there’s literally three people named in this that aren’t Official TAZ Characters (as far as I know)  
> * Taako tasted the left-over garlic…sauce? I dunno, the left-over garlic stuff and got a higher concentration of the arsenic. I don’t know if that’s how it works but I’m writing this at 3 am so idc  
> * Arsenicum Almbum is a homeopathic way to treat arsenic poisoning.
> 
> * * *
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](http://happyleech.tumblr.com/)


End file.
